Comments Off on A unique community of modern green homes hug the desert floor in Utah

According to Joshua and Natsuko Shaffer, the couple behind Chibi Moku, Marten is a pioneer of “desert modern architecture .” Educated as an architect, Marten wanted to create homes that would protect the spectacular views, utilizing materials and colors that would blend in with the desert. The homes in Kayenta are low-lying, with plenty of windows so residents can appreciate the splendor that surrounds them. Related: Gorgeous desert home blurs the lines between indoor and outdoor living Marten brought the spirit of southern California to the Utah community. Kayenta began as ” a hybrid of beach culture and desert living ” and the homes in the community also have a southwestern flair. Kayenta homes incorporate a variety of ” energy-efficient features ” and draw on passive solar design . Some are equipped with solar panels. Builder Brent Smith summed up the vision behind the houses. He said, “It’s really important in architecture that a house grace the landscape, so when you see that house, and you have all the environment around it – the cliffs and everything else – it blends in.” The Shaffers describe Marten as “a very special man who never cared about money in his life.” Now in his 80’s, Marten has watched other like-minded people flock to Kayenta and embrace his dream. Some of the residents said in the documentary that since most have come to Kayenta from elsewhere, they all want to be there, and that’s part of what makes Kayenta such a special place to reside. The 2,000 acre Kayenta community is still open to new residents with lots of up to two acres. There’s also an inn there if people want to experience desert living without committing to living there full time. + Kayenta + Chibi Moku Images courtesy of Chibi Moku

For most relationships, 100 years is well past the point in time when you can ‘make it official,’ but for planets, it’s just right. After nearly a century in Earth’s orbit, a tiny asteroid has earned NASA’s recognition as Earth’s new “mini moon.” Measuring between 120 feet to 300 feet in diameter, the minuscule rock slowly circles the sun on a similar orbit as Earth and NASA scientists now reveal that it circles Earth as well – not entirely unlike the moon we already know and love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbbAnVU4rmY NASA scientists estimate that Earth’s new playmate, known as “asteroid 2016 HO3,” has probably been around for about 100 years. It was first detected on April 27 by the Pan-STARRS 1 asteroid survey telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, which is operated by the University of Hawaii’s Institute for Astronomy. Although the asteroid moon is currently in Earth’s orbit, it may not stay for long—at least in the grand scheme of the timeline of the universe. The asteroid’s own orbit has a unique pattern, doing a slow back-and-forth twist over multiple decades, and it’s expected to continue flirting with our green planet for at least a few more centuries. Related: NASA rolls out new asteroid detection program to defend Earth from destructive meteors Paul Chodas, manager of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, explains that because of its distance, the new mini moon is a “quasi-satellite” of Earth rather than a true satellite. “The asteroid ‘s loops around Earth drift a little ahead or behind from year to year, but when they drift too far forward or backward, Earth’s gravity is just strong enough to reverse the drift and hold onto the asteroid so that it never wanders farther away than about 100 times the distance of the moon,” said Chodas. “The same effect also prevents the asteroid from approaching much closer than about 38 times the distance of the moon. In effect, this small asteroid is caught in a little dance with Earth.” Over the years, other asteroids have done a similar dance with our planet , but those were more like flings than long-term relationships, if we’re going to continue the metaphor. Over 10 years ago, asteroid 2003 YN107 followed a similar orbital pattern for a short time, according to Chodas, but it has since left Earth’s vicinity. “This new asteroid is much more locked onto us,” he said, predicting that it will stick around for “centuries to come.” + NASA Images via NASA/JPL-Caltech

Republicans aren’t known for backing big public transportation projects, so when Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan visited Japan last June and took a ride on a high-speed magnetic levitation train outside Tokyo, supporters of a maglev line between Washington, D.C. and New York City were pleasantly surprised at the governor’s response. “It was an incredible experience, even more impressive than I expected,” said Hogan after experiencing top speeds of more than 300 mph. He then said Maryland would seek a $28 million federal grant to study a potential Washington-Baltimore line that would zip passengers between the two cities in 15 minutes. Now the company behind the push for maglev in the United States is stepping up its commitment. According to The Baltimore Sun, The Northeast Maglev (TNEM) just opened its new headquarters in downtown Baltimore. Read the rest of Republican governor embraces Northeast Maglev headquarters in Baltimore

Comments Off on TwingTec Energy Harvesting Kite is a High-Flying Wind Power Generator

Kite flying may be the perfect leisurely summertime activity, but it could also help charge your devices as well. Swiss company TwingTec has developed an incredible energy harvesting kite that collects wind power while sailing the skies. Resembling the vintage box kite made famous by the Wright Brothers, the kite is connected to a ground station, which collects the wind energy through tension reels. Read the rest of TwingTec Energy Harvesting Kite is a High-Flying Wind Power Generator Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: ‘kite power , eco design , ederal Institute of Technology in Lausanne , EMPA , energy harvesting kite , Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich , green design , sustainable design , Swiss Kite Power Project , TwingTec , University of Applied Sciences Northwest Switzerland

Construction has started on the sustainable hotel resort built into a 100-meter high cliff in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai. Looking like a gorgeous villain lair from one of the James Bond movies, the 19-story hotel complex will have a huge waterfall pour down from its roof and two of its first floors submerged in the water. Read the rest of Songjiang Hotel: Construction Begins On Chinese Eco-Resort Nestled into 100-Meter-Deep Quarry Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “clean energy” , Atkins architecture , geothermal energy , green roofed hotels , hotel resort China , renewable energy sources , Shimao Group , Songjiang , Songjiang Hotel , sustainable hotel China , Sustainable Hotels